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船头 (chuán tóu) — bow (of a ship); prow

Definition

noun
bow (of a ship)prow
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 船头。
    Tā zhàn zài chuán tóu kàn hǎi.
    He stands at the bow looking at the sea.
  • 船头。
    chuán tóu Guà zhe yí miàn qí zi.
    A flag is hanging at the bow.
  • 船头。
    Zhè sōu chuán de chuán tóu shì hóng sè de.
    The bow of this ship is red.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

船chuánship
头tóufront

船 means ship and 头 means front, naming the front of a ship.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
舟舟zhōuboat
Sound part声符shēngfú
㕣
㕣㕣船
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

船 pairs 舟 (boat) with 㕣 for its sound.

Open 船 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →
Appears in
Boats & Water Travel

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